Queen of Katwe: Alicia Keys Enters Oscar Race with ‘Back to Life’

Lupita Nyong’o isn’t the only one generating Oscar buzz for her work on Queen of Katwe; Alicia Keys has entered the Best Original Song Oscar race with her song ‘Back to Life,’ which she penned for the Disney film’s soundtrack.

A new featurette for the film, released Wednesday, shows off the track (and Keys’ soaring vocals) as it plays over new footage from the Mira Nair-directed picture. Queen of Katwe tells the story of a young girl, Phiona Mutesi, who rises from the slums of Kampala, Uganda, to achieve the title of Woman Candidate Master at the 40th Chess Olympiad in 2012. Nyong’o will play Mutesi’s mother in the film, which costars David Oyelowo and Madina Nalwanga.

“Queen of Katwe moved me in every way. The film beautifully depicts Uganda with such honest attention to detail—the colors, the sounds, the people—all vividly brought to life. But most soulfully, it’s the story of this fearless, brilliant girl Phiona who embodies the message that the rise to success first begins with opportunity, and the belief you have in yourself to pursue something bigger,” Keys said of the project, via press release.

She added: “The song ‘Back To Life’ that I wrote for this film alongside collaborators Illangelo and Billy Walsh, is about pushing past that little voice of doubt in our heads so we can instead, electrify the world. When we allow women to find and express their power and potential, the world changes for the better. I encourage people to see this film, be moved by Phiona’s story and then go back into their own communities and encourage a girl who will rise like a flower that breaks through the concrete to see the sun!”

The film marks Nyong’o’s first live-action role since winning an Oscar in 2014 for her supporting performance in Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave. The actress’ relationship with Disney has been stellar as of late; last December, she voiced Maz Kanata in the highest-grossing movie of all time, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Shortly thereafter, her voice again appeared in the live action remake of The Jungle Book.

Though Disney has a regrettable track record when it comes to generating traction in categories outside the techs and the occasional acting nod, pending the film’s reception at TIFF next month (it’s set to premiere on September 10) and the size of her role, Nyong’o could find herself in the thick of the Supporting Actress race yet again – especially given the pressure currently resting on the Academy’s shoulders to step outside their box of tradition and honor actors of color at the upcoming Oscars. It all depends on the critics, however, as for a studio like Disney, the film’s reception matters. If it’s another run-of-the-mill family sports/competition drama (as, judging by the trailer, it likely is), forget it. If Nair manages to elevate the material into something great, consider Nyong’o an underlying threat.

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Once, when he was three, Joey Nolfi fancied himself as an exotic type and boldly told someone that he was “from North America.” He’s taken that status as self-appointed ambassador of the North American people and built with it a budding career in entertainment journalism. In other words: he’s written about awards season, film, pop culture, and the arts for a variety of publications including Entertainment Weekly, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, AFROPUNK, East End Fashion Magazine, and Naima Mora Online. He also acts, makes films, moonlights as a DJ/general nightlife legend, and can’t wait for the day that his friends have children that he can to take to the zoo one time and then spend the rest of his life patting himself on the back for it.

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Editor-in-Chief Joey Nolfi sifted through 87 years of Best Picture winners to come up with a formula that gauges Oscar traction. He ranked the films heading into this year's race, so you should check it out.

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RT @joeynolfi: AND ALSO Happy Presidents’ Day to President Natalie Portman at the end of Mars Attacks https://t.co/NrJGzYnAYh